Four Friends (1981) ( Georgia's Friends ) ( 4 Friends )

Four Friends (1981) (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $14.97

Original Title: Georgia's Friends
Alternate Title: 4 Friends
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Golden Globes

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
French ( Mono )
French ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
110 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Remastered

Movie filmed in 1981 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Arthur Penn

Written By:
Steve Tesich

Actors:
Craig Wasson ..... Danilo
Jodi Thelen ..... Georgia
Michael Huddleston ..... David
Jim Metzler ..... Tom
Scott Hardt ..... Young Danilo
Elizabeth Lawrence ..... Mrs. Prozor
Miklos Simon ..... Mr. Prozor
Michael Kovacs ..... Prozor Neighbor
Beatrice Fredman ..... Mrs. Zoldos
Pier Calabria ..... Conductor
Zaid Farid ..... Rudy
David Graf ..... Gergley
Felix Shuman ..... Principal
George Womack ..... Mr. Bellknap
Todd Isaacson ..... Senior Kid

Synopsis:

Also known as Moritorium and Georgia's Friends, Four Friends follows the titular quartet from high school to young adulthood. The film is set during the tumultuous 1960s, an era when everyone's values were turned inside out, shaken around, and reassembled. The central character is first-generation American Craig Wasson, who confounds his Yugoslavian father (Miklos Simon) by pursuing his own let-it-all-hang-out lifestyle. Wasson's best friends are athlete Jim Metzler and chubby Michael Huddleston; all pursue the affections of bewitching Jodi Thelan. Though they are obviously deeply in love with one another, Wasson and Thelan continue to foolishly avoid a long-term commitment as the sixties unfold around them. Four Friends calls for a fresher approach than the one offered by director Arthur Penn, whose handling of the material is much too pat and old-fashioned.

This story of four working-class kids in a small industrial town - who go their separate ways after high school in the innocence of 1961 and come together again at the end of the turbulent Sixties - is as much about the coming of age of America as it is about the changes the characters go through. The four friends of the title are thoughtful Danilo, a Yugoslavian immigrant with dreams of being a writer and a scholar; Tom, good-looking and athletic, who is bound for the army; cautious David who has mixed feelings about staying in town and joining the family mortuary business; and lovely, ditzy, exasperating Georgia, who tries to inspire all of them with her longings for a life of Bohemian adventure. It is told through the eyes of Danilo, whose story is loosely based on the director Tesich's own life growing up in Bloomington, Indiana.

A charming, heartfelt, sometimes insightful look at four friends who form strong bonds while in high school in the early 1960s, and then desperately cling to that love during the turbulent social upheavals that marked the end of the decade. The film's focal point is Danilo (Wasson), the son of a Yugoslavian immigrant steelworker (Simon) who does not understand Danilo's refusal to follow in his footsteps. Danilo seeks refuge with his best friends: handsome jock Tom (Metzler), overweight mama's boy David (Huddleston), and free-spirited Georgia (Thelen). Although the latter loves Danilo best, for various reasons she gives herself to Tom, leading to rifts among the group. Following graduation, they go their separate ways, and the film becomes a series of vignettes that attempt to dramatize nearly every aspect of life in the late 1960s. FOUR FRIENDS is filmed with obvious love for the characters and features outstanding performances from the underrated Wasson, Thelen and Simon. Well worth seeing.

This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 26 May, 2019.